"MMA regulation coming to Arizona
by MMAjunkie.com Staff on May 01, 2008 at 11:35 am ET
Major MMA events could he headed to Phoenix, Tucson and other Arizona cities.

On Monday Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano signed a bill, HB 2834, which calls for the regulation of mixed martial arts in the state. The legislation was first introduced by state representative Jonathan Paton.

Longtime MMA fighter and UFC hall-of-famer Ken Shamrock, who recently opened a Lion's Den gym in Scottdale, Ariz., was the bill's chief backer outside of the political arena.

"I wanted to clear up any misconceptions members had about MMA," Shamrock stated. "It is far from the 'human cock-fighting' analogy used years ago by John McCain. There are rules in place to ensure the safety of participants. Over the years fighters have sustained fewer injuries during MMA competitions than in boxing. Mixed martial arts is a legitimate sport that takes considerable skill and intelligence."

Shamrock, who also produces his own shows, looks forward to hosting events in the state.

"Now fans can see the action live and local fighters can participate in MMA events in their home state," he stated. "I am extremely excited about the prospect of bringing professional MMA events to Arizona."

The law will allow the Arizona State Boxing Commission to start using rules for unarmed combat that are consistent with the mixed martial arts unified rules of conduct first adopted by the New jersey state athletic control board in 2000.

The law goes into effect 90 days after the legislative session ends."

I'm sure he had some financial reasons for doing this but it is good to see that MMA will probably come to the state of John McCain- especially after the famous "human cockfighting" comments.